Electrically-operated crossing-signal.



C. L. LYNCH.

ELECTRICALLY OPERATED CROSSING SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19. ISIS Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

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ELEGTRIOALLY-OPEBATED CROSSING-SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 19, 1916. Serial No. 121,000.

' To all whom it may concern:

described in my co-pending application,

' Serial No. 104,842, filed June 21, 1916.

' signal,-- as a siren, that The object of the present invention is the perfecting of a system of electrically actuated signal devices which are used at street intersections for regulating traflic.

To these ends, I provide, first, means under the control of a local traflic oflicer for regulating stop and go.si als for inter secting streets, selectively, said means being also applicable to the regulation of emergency signals and employing a number of normally open primary electric circuits; and, second, a series of secondary normally open circuits which, upon being closed through the ofiice of another circuit operable from a remote place, causes the referred to secondary circuits to serve instead of the original primary circuits which are rendered inoperative with respect to the traflic oflicer.

A further object is to provide an audible may be caused to sound a warning at the will of the traffic ofiicer and that is controlled by switch apparatus whereby a warning will be automatically sounded thereby prior to the coincidental displaying of all of the stop signals on any crossing. I

With the above 0 jects in view, the invention consists in the novel arrangement, adaptation and combination of signals and the controlling circuits therefor, as will be more clearly hereinafter describedand claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view partly in section and partly in'elevation of my signaling apparatus as it may appear when secured to a lamp post on one corner of a street crossing;

Fig. 2 isa view in perspectlvev ofa visual fire signal; and

d1agrammat1c vlew of circuits Fig. 3 is a controlling the operations of my signaling apparatus.

as shown and words Go and Stop respectively, or

equivalent signals, the stop signal arm 13 preferably being longer and heavier than the go signal arm 12 so that it will normally hang in a vertical position due to the force of gravity.

The outsideof the housing 10 is provided .with a shield 14 to normally protect the vertical arm of the semaphore and the shaft 11 is provided interiorly of the box with a sector 15 to which is secured a cable 16 that connects with the top end of a magnet bar 17 disposed within a solenoid 18 so that when the solenoid is energized the semaphore will be pulled downwardly and caused to display the stop signal .as shown in Fig. 1.

20is a siren that is secured to a lamp post 9 or other support for use as an emergency signal-and 21 is a triangularly shaped fire signal box having a lamp 22 disposed inside thereof and having the word Fire inscribed on two of its transparent sides, so that such word will be visible from two sides and will show only when the lamp 22 is lighted. This may be accomplished by providing ground glass panels in the box 21 and painting the word Fire in black letters on the inside surface of the panels.

The signal boxes 10 are ordinarily installed on' each of the four corners of a crossing, as indicated by broken lines X in Fig. 3, in such manner that the extended semaphores thereof will be visible to vehicles approaching from four directions on the righthand sides of the respective streets, and are connected with electrical circuits, see Fig. 3, so that either the diagonally opposite signals or all of the signals may be operated at the same time.

When installed as above described, one terminal of a source of electrical current, asa battery B, is connected by an electric circuit wire 23 with the solenoid in the signal box 10 on each corner of acrossingalnd with Patented a a, rare.

the siren 20, which may be located at any convenient or suitable place. The other terminal of the battery B is connected by a circuit wire 24 with contact blades 28, 29, 30, 31,32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 which blades each have counterpart blades 28 to 36 respectively, and are disposed in operative contact relation with a rotatable drum 27.

The blades 28 to 35 are connected with the solenoids of thefour signal boxes 10 shown in Fig. 3, and the blade 36 is connected with the siren 2O for the purpose hereinafter specified. I

' Each pair of blades 28, 28 to 36, 36 inelusive, serve as switch elements and are adapted to be closed by bridge elements 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 and 33 that engage the respective blades as the drum 27 is rotated.

If the drum 27 is rotated to cause contacts 28 and 29 to engage blades 28, 28 and 29,

and 31,, 31 thus closing circuits with the other two diagonally opposite signal boxes.

The two contact positions above described are all that are used in the normal working of the signal apparatus to control trafiic movin in four directions, but in case the drum 1s rotated'still farther, the bridge element 36 will engage blades 36 and 36 thus closing the ,siren circuit and causing the siren 20 to sound a warning'before the drum can be moved into the emergency position with bridges or conductors 32 33 34 and .35 in engagement with blades 32, 32; 33, 33*;34, 34 and 35, 35 In the same manner a warnin signal will be sounded by the siren while t e drum is being moved from thelfemer ency position back to the normal working position, the use of the siren in the manner just described constituting one feature of the present improvement.

The above referred to signal devices may be of any suitable type such, for example, as are illustrated and described in my prior copending. application, the present invention being chie y concerned with the electric cir-.

cuit connections that may be locally controlled by a traflic oflicer until an alarm is sent out from a central station through the agency of a master circuit, for suitably op-- erating all of the above described semaphore signals, as .well as soundin the siren and illuminating a fire signa simultaneously in case of fire. This latter apparatus consists in (providing switch blades 40, 41 42, 43, 44 an 45 that are adapted to be engaged by a contact bar 46 on the end of an arm 47 that is mounted on a pivot 48 and sup orted by a ma etf bar 49 that is pivota y .connected t erewith and disposed within a solenoid winding 50, one terminal of which is connected by a circuit wire =51 with one side of a battery 52 and the other terminal connected by a wire 53 with a switch 54 that is located at any distant point, as in a central fire station, and is connected by wire 55 with the other side of the battery so that when the switch 54 is closed, the magnet bar 49 will be lifted by the solenoid 50 to move the contact bar 46 into engagement with the switch blades 40 to 45 inclusive.

p The contact bar 46 is connected with one side of the battery B b the conductor wire 24 and the switch bla cs 40 to 44 inclusive are connected with the other side of the battery B by conductor wires 57 which tap onto the conductor wires 23 adjacent the blades 32 to 36 respectivel in such manner that when the contact ar 46 engages the switch blades 40 to 44, the circuits to all of the signal boxes 10 and the circuit to the siren 20 will be closed. At the same time,

the circuit to the lamp in the signal box 21 by wire 59' with switch blade 45, will be 7 closed. When the above-described circuits are closed. from a controlling circuit which renders the local or drum control circuit temporarily inoperative and the apparatus affected so that the signal boxes 10 all display the stop signal, the siren sounds an iiucliibliie warning, and the fire signal lamp is i 1te 2 At 60 I have shown as independent switch for closing the circuit to the siren 20 at the will of the trafiic oflicer and independently of all other circuits.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the traific ofiicer can selectively regulate the semaphore signalsat the diagonally opposite corners through the instrumentality of a controller, and that said controller may also be used to regulate the signals so as to stop all trailic, but before and after'such allstop or emergency signals are rendered operative, a controller automatically efi'ects an alarm through the agency of a siren or its equivalent.

Furthermore, provision is made whereby the all-stop or emergency signals, the siren and the lightsignals may be simultaneously actuated from a remote place and when thus 3 affected the aforesaid controller is caused to be inoperative. These novel results are attained through the agency of the before explglined instrumentalities.

at I claim and desire to secure by Let: ters-Patent is- 1. In apparatus of the class described, a

erated means whereby said signals are electrically actuated to the exclusion of said controller. Y

2. Apparatus of the class described, comprising signals, electric circuits therefor, se lective switch mechanism in said circuits for actuating said signals, and another circuit having a switch operable from a central station to control said signals and render said selective switch mechanism temporarily inoperable.

3. Apparatus of the class described, comprising signals, electric circuits connected therewith, selective switch mechanism for closing said circuits, secondary circuits con nected with said first named circuits, and electrically actuated by manually controlled means from a central station for closing said secondary circuits to operate said signals to the exclusion of said selective switchmechanism.

4. Apparatus of the class described, comprising a plurality of signal devices, electromagnets for operating said signal devices, an electrical circuit for each of said electromagnets, switch mechanism connected with said circuits to selectively energize said electromagnets, secondary circuits connected with said first named circuits, a switch for closing said secondary circuits to simultaneously energize all of said electro-magnets and render said selective switch mechanism in operative, and electrically controlled operating means for said switch.

5. Apparatus of the class described, comprising electrically operated visual signals, an electrically operated audible signal, switch mechanism for selectively operating said visual signals, said switch mechanism having two normal working positions and an emergency position, arid means interposed in said switch mechanism for efl'ecting the sounding of said audible signal when said switch mechanism is moved from either of said normal working positions to said emergency position.

6. Apparatus of the class described, comprising electrically operated visual signals, an audible signal, switch mechanism for selectively operating said visual signals, said switch mechanism having normal working positions and an emergency position, devices for sounding said audible signal when said switch mechanism is moved between said normal working positions and said emergency position, and an independent switch for operating said audible signal without employing the aforesaid switch mechanism.

7. Apparatus of the class described, comprising a plurality of visual trafiic controlling signals, an audible signal, primary circuits for the respective signals, switch mechanism to selectively operate said visual signals through the medium of the respective circuits, devices including the circuit of said audible signal for causing the latter to be sounded when said switch mechanism is moved between predetermined positions, a visual fire signal, secondary circuits, and emergency switch devices adapted to be connected therewith for actuating all of said signals independently of said selective switch mechanism and render the latter temporarily inoperable.

8. Apparatus of the class described, comprising visual signals, electro-magnets to operate said signals, anaudible signal, electric circuits connected with said electromagnets, selective switch mechanism having a normal operative position and an emergency position, means between said two positions controlling said audible signal, a visu.l fire signal, secondary circuits, a switc provided therein, and electrical means operable from a central station for closing said switch to render said selective switch mechanism temporarily inoperable and serving to simultaneously operate all of said signals.

Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 28th day of August, 1916.

CHESTER L. LYNCH.

Witnesses:

E. PETERSON, PIERRE BARNES. 

